Who, when, where Army's playing

Seasons go by so fast. Seems yesterday Army players were wearing leather helmets to save themselves from career-threatening injuries as they prepared themselves for active duty in the Spanish-American War. The Black Knights' 115th season of football begins Saturday, against Buffalo. Their 12-game schedule includes games against seven teams that finished with winning records last year, including two teams – Stanford and Rice – that won their respective league championships. Army's annual tussle with Navy – the Midshipmen have beaten Army 12 straight if you're keeping score – will be played at M & T Stadium in Baltimore. In between, there are five home games and another at Yankee Stadium. Last season's 3-9 record included losses in Army's last five games, including a 34-7 shellacking by Navy.

Opponent breakdown:

Sept. 6BuffaloSite: Michie Stadium, West Point2013 record: 8-5Conference: Mid-America (East)Record vs. Army: 2-1Last meeting: 2008, Buffalo 27, Army 24Who to watch: QB Joe Licata played in all 13 games last season, completing 233 of 402 passes for 2824 yards and 24 touchdowns. Nevertheless, Bulls' head coach Jeff Quinn is looking for the running game to be his offense's primary scoring source, led by Anthone Taylor and Devin Campbell.

Sept. 20Wake ForestSite: B B & T Stadium, Winston-Salem, NC2013 record: 4-6Conference: ACC (Atlantic Division)Record vs. Army: 9-4Last meeting: 2013, Wake Forest 25, Army 11Who to watch: True freshman John Wolford has been named starting quarterback by first-year coach Dave Clawson. While in high school in Jacksonville, FL, Wolford broke Tim Tebow's state touchdown pass record and also set state records for passing yards and all-purpose touchdowns. In his final game for Bishop Kenny HS he threw for 7 touchdowns and ran for 3 more. He will be the Demon Deacons' first freshman starting quarterback since 1974.

Sept. 27YaleSite: Yale Bowl, New Haven, CT2013 record: 5-5Conference: Ivy LeagueRecord vs. Army: 21-16-8Last meeting: 1996, Army 39, Yale 13Who to watch: In his first two seasons as head coach, Tony Reno was strictly reliant on the run game, particularly fullback Tyler Varga. Varga suffered a foot injury last season against Fordham, and he is out indefinitely. In his stead, Kahlil Keys and Chandler Rich must fill in and do so big time.

Oct. 11RiceSite: Michie Stadium2013 record: 10-4Conference: Conference USARecord vs. Army: 2-1-1Last meeting: 2008, Rice 38, Army 31Who to watch: WR Jordan Taylor caught 55 passes for 848 yards and 8 touchdowns last season. But the Rice offense will be lessened by the absence of OL Drew Carroll, who had to give up football when he was diagnosed with kidney disease; he requires a kidney transplant.

Oct. 18Kent StateSite: Dix Stadium, Kent, OH2013 record: 4-6Conference: Mid-American (East)Record vs. Army: 1-2Last meeting: 2012, Kent State 31, Army 17Who to watch: As a freshman last season QB Colin Reardon completed 186 of 316 passes for 12 touchdowns and rushed for an additional 430 yards and 2 touchdowns. One teammate Reardon will miss is his center, Jason Bitsko, who died in his sleep Aug. 20.

Nov. 1Air ForceSite: Michie Stadium2013 record: 2-10Conference: Mountain WestRecord vs. Army: 33-14-1Last meeting: 2013, Air Force, 42 Amy 28Who to watch: The Falcons' offense took a major blow in the middle of last season when three-year starting QB Jaleel Awini was suspended by the team, and subsequently transferred. Nate Romine and Karson Roberts alternated at the position last season, and neither has secured the No. 1 position so far this year.

Nov. 22FordhamSite: Michie Stadium2013 record: 12-2Conference: Patriot LeagueRecord vs. Army: 0-3Last meeting: 2011, Army 55, Fordham 0Who to watch: Michael Nebrich blew up the Rams' all-time quarterback stats last season. He threw for a school-record 524 yards against Holy Cross. For the season, he completed just under 75 percent of his passes for 3756 yards and 28 touchdowns, while rushing for an additional 443 yards and 8 touchdowns. He ranked in the top 5 nationally in passing yards per game (325.1); passing efficiency; completions per game; total offense per game; and points-responsible per game (19.8). He was the Patriot League offensive player of the year and finished fifth in voting for the Walter Payton Award, given to the FCS' most outstanding player.

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Ron Mergenthaler was a sportswriter for 12 years, including four years at Newsday, where he covered New York city high school and college sports; four years at The Post-Standard in Syracuse, at which time he covered Syracuse University basketball, football and lacrosse; and two years at the Record in Middletown, NY, covering Army football and basketball. He also served as a TV sports columnist for the The Record in Hackensack, NJ for two years. He earned an Associated Press award in 1987 for his coverage of the Final Four. rmergenthaler@hvc.rr.com.